


I'm With You

by yourinternetkid



Series: from afar [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Crush, F/M, First Kiss, Harry and Lauren are in this too, Infatuation, Love Confessions, Misunderstanding, Original Character(s), basically i just watched too many terrible christmas movies on netflix and this was the result, more like like confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 06:29:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17239145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourinternetkid/pseuds/yourinternetkid
Summary: "Can I tell you something?"In which Y/N is afraid to tell Ashton the truth, and at first it seems like everything's going nowhere until it starts going somewhere.





	I'm With You

wrote this whilst listening to this cover of vance joy's "i'm with you"- listen along if you feel so inclined: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1PSOOZNab4>

* * *

 

“Wow.”

“What’d you think?”

“It’s red.”

“And?”

“Really red.”

Ashton narrowed his eyes at you. “You hate it.”

“No,” you said, studying him from where you sat on the couch. Ashton had just come over to your place. He’d promised you a surprise. Turns out that surprise was a head full of firetruck red hair. You’d been hoping for coffee, or maybe those cookies you liked so much, but the red was nice too.

“You can’t lie to me, Y/N,” Ashton said. He toed off his shoes and pulled off his jacket. His tan skin and tattoos and red hair looked especially stark next to the white t shirt that covered his torso. “You’re making a face.”

“Am not,” you said. You waited till he wasn’t looking to eye him up and down. “I like it. It actually kind of suits you.”

“Oh, thanks,” Ashton sounded sarcastic as he crossed the room and plopped down next to you on the couch. “Actually kind of suits you- that’s maybe the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

You rolled your eyes and pulled your legs up onto the couch, turning your body so you could really look at him. “You look absolutely dashing,” you said. “Divine, delectable, ect.” You grinned at the look on Ashton’s face.

“Whatever.”

“Really Ash,” you reached forward and laid a hand on his arm, “you look good. I like it.” You smiled so Ashton knew you meant it. Despite all of his bravado and sass, he looked relieved that you really did like it.

“Thanks,” he said it sincerely this time. You squeezed his arm.

“‘Course,” you said. And then, “What is that color anyway, Kris Kringle red?”

“Damn you,” Ashton barked out a laugh and pushed your hand off of his arm. You laughed and leaned back against the arm of the couch, pushing your feet against his thigh. 

“Couldn’t help myself,” you said. “Sorry.”

“You’re not sorry,” Ashton said, “but that’s okay.” He pat the tops of your feet and traced his finger over the little stars printed on your socks. It was stupid, but the simplicity of it made you want to reach forward and run your fingers through that ridiculously red hair, tip his chin towards yours and kiss him silly.

You didn’t though. It was too soon for that, despite the past few weeks you’d spent dancing around each other. Ever since Ashton got back from tour and admitted that he’d missed you, that he’d thought about you, your crush had only gotten worse. You felt like you were in high school again, swinging wildly back and forth between wanting to take the plunge and tell Ashton about how you really felt and being afraid that this was all a farce, that he didn’t like you that way and that by telling him, you’d ruin everything.

“Are you staying in town for the holidays?” you asked him, too afraid to say anything that might change things.

“I’ll be around,” Ashton said. “Think I’ll take a trip to Big Bear for a couple days, have myself a white Christmas. You?” Ashton twisted his torso to look at you. You shrugged.

“I’m supposed to see my family this weekend,” you said. “My parents are off to Hawaii, and my brother is spending it at his girlfriend’s house.”

“Wait, you’re gonna be alone on Christmas?” Ashton sounded affronted by even the idea of it. 

“I guess,” you said. “My parents invited me to go with them, but Hawaii’s a little out of my budget.” 

Ashton looked genuinely upset at the news. You’d been a little disappointed when you first realized you’d be spending Christmas alone, but you’d had a few weeks to get used to the idea. You planned on watching nad horror movies all day and eating endless amounts of popcorn. Not exactly a traditional Christmas experience, but you were okay with it.

“It’s okay,” you told Ashton. “This is growing up, right? Smaller holidays and stuff.”

Ashton’s hand gripped your ankle and you had to stop yourself from digging your toes into his thigh. “I don’t like it.”

“Well, I don’t mind. I’m fine.” 

Ashton gave you a look like he didn’t believe you, but he didn’t push it any further. Instead he just kept his hand wrapped around your ankle and reached for your laptop on the coffee table.

“It’s your turn to pick a movie,” he told you, and you wanted to let out a sigh of relief at the change of topic. 

“Finally,” you teased and grabbed the laptop from him.

You liked hanging out with Ashton at his place. He had a nice TV and a big sofa and some cute potted plants in the window. But you couldn’t deny that you liked being together at your place more, with your small sofa and the blanket that you and Ashton sometimes shared while you watched movies on the laptop. It forced you to be closer, and that evening Ashton’s hair smelled like fancy shampoo and his arm was warm against yours. You picked a movie that you’d seen before, something that you knew you could get lost in. You were glad to focus on the story unfolding in front of you instead of the faint sound of Ashton breathing beside you, or the constant flash of red hair in your periphery. You wondered if you’d ever get used to who Ashton was- if your heart would ever settle around him.

He stayed for a couple of hours after the movie was over. He helped you with your tiny garden in the backyard and asked you about your week and told you about his music. It was wonderful, and it felt a little bit like your heart was breaking when he had to leave.

“You can stay for dinner,” you told him, your cheeks getting warm as he looked up at you from where he was putting on his shoes. “I was gonna make soup.”

“Can’t,” Ashton said. “Andy and I are supposed to work on a project at his place. I would if I could, though.” You wondered if he was just being polite in saying that. You hoped not.

“Alright,” you said, smiling at him as he slipped his jacket over his shoulders. “I probably won’t see you till after Christmas then.”  
“I guess,” Ashton said, and frowned. “I might- well,” Ashton paused. 

“What?”

“I don’t know,” he said. He shoved his hand in his pocket and dug out his keys. “If I don’t see you before, Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Ash.”

He opened his arms for a hug and you took it. His leather jacket squeaked around his shoulders as he pulled you in close. He swayed back and forth and you couldn’t help but follow him. You closed your eyes and let yourself get a bit lost in the feeling.

He pulled away and you followed suit, stepping away from him as he headed for the door.

“See ya,” he smiled and you couldn’t help but smile back.

“Bye, Ash.” 

You spent the rest of the evening tidying up and making yourself some soup. The little house felt so empty without Ashton filling in edges and corners. He was larger than life in the best way. It felt silly, but you missed him being around only a few hours after he’d gone. 

 

You were at your parents house in your childhood bedroom the next time you heard from Ashton. He’d gone a bit M.I.A. after his last visit, but he always did when he was in the middle of a new project. You’d let it be- used the sudden absence to focus on getting together a few last minute presents for friends and family before the holidays. You had just finished your early Christmas celebration with your family when Ashton called.

“Hey,” you answered the phone. 

“Y/N,” Ashton said. “I have an important question for you.”

“Yes?”

“I know you’ve already had family Christmas, and you can totally say no to this if you want to- it’s not a big deal or anything- I was just wondering, are you still planning on spending Christmas day by yourself?”

“That’s you important question?” you asked, a hint of teasing in your voice. “You sure I can totally say no to that if I want to?”

“It’s- it’s not what I was originally gonna ask,” Ashton tripped over his words. “I just thought maybe I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you clutched the phone tightly between your fingers.

“I’m still alone for Christmas, yeah.” You tried to keep your own foolish hopes out of your voice, afraid that it would shake with anticipation if your suspicions were right. You weren’t entirely successful, your words coming out quieter than usual.

“Would you wanna come spend Christmas up in Big Bear? With me?” Ashton asked. You threw your arm over your face and fell back onto your bed, a stupid smile taking over. “My family will be there too- my brother and sister. I talked to them about it, and they said they were okay with it.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, arm still thrown across your eyes. “It’s- they don’t get a lot of alone time with you.”

“I really think it’s okay,” Ashton said. “We’ll probably do a few things together, us three, but I’ve told them about you and they said they’d wanna meet you anyway.” It felt as though your breath was stuck in your chest. “It won’t be a perfect family Christmas or anything, but we’d love to have you, if you want.” 

It was the most nervous you thought you’d ever heard Ashton sound. You couldn’t deny the spike of nerves in your own stomach. What did this mean? Was it what you hoped? Or was Ashton just being his usual friendly self? Was this just another instance of Ashton putting his own wants aside for the sake of someone else? 

You knew what your mother would say- she’d tell you not to intrude on someone else’s Christmas. She’d say that if it was someone trying to crash her family’s celebration, she’d send them packing. She’d tell you not to be rude, not to be selfish. 

And dammit, maybe she was right.

“I- I don’t think I should, Ash.” Your voice did shake that time- shook in the worst way. “It’s your family Christmas. I just-” there was a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the phone, and your stomach dropped- “I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Y/N-” Ashton sounded disappointed, it made you feel sick. “It’s not a problem, really. Just, you can come with us. It’ll be fun. Come with us.”

You muffled the phone against your shirt in an effort to keep Ashton from hearing you curse to yourself. Despite his insistence, you didn’t think it could really be okay. There’s no way Harry and Lauren would want to give up their brother over Christmas for some random friend. You even doubted that Ashton would want to abandon some precious family time to make sure you were taken care of. He was a caring guy, but you didn’t see any part of this situation resulting in you not being a burden in some way. Sure, it’d be nice to spend Christmas with friends, even nicer to spend it with Ashton, but it just didn’t sit right with you. Not now, at least. You brought the phone back up to your ear.

“I can’t,” you said it softly, as if that would make the words easier to bear. It didn’t- you felt awful, even more so when Ashton coughed awkwardly on the other side of the line.

“Well,” he said, “if you change your mind, you’re more than welcome to come with us.”

“Thanks, Ash,” you said.

Ashton hummed. “I’ll see you around sometime, kay?”

“Okay,” you said. “See you.”

“Bye.”

He hung up the phone first. You tossed your own to the side, turning and burying your head in the covers. If your mom knew about what you’d done, she’d be proud of you. You tried to hold onto that thought, to remember that you’d done the grown up thing- the right thing. 

It didn’t help you that night when you couldn’t fall asleep, lonliness and disappointment nagging at you till the early hours of the morning while you wondered if you’d really made the right decision.

Morning came and you still didn’t know.

You were back in your little house by Christmas Eve. You’d left the space clear of any Christmas decorations as it seemed a little pointless given the circumstances. You stepped inside the entryway and kicked your boots off, whistling loudly as if that would make you feel better about the impending the silence waiting to engulf the house. 

You were glad when one of your best friends dropped by later that afternoon, using the key you’d given her to let herself in.

“I come bearing gifts!” she shouted from the entryway. You laughed and grabbed the present you’d gotten for her from your bedroom before going to meet her.

“Meg!” you hugged her as soon as you were close enough. “Merry Christmas.”

“And happy New Year,” she grinned and shoved a shiny package into your arms. “For you.”

“And this is for you,” you handed her the red gift you’d been holding. “Should I open this now, or-?” you didn’t get through your question before Meg was already tearing into her own gift. You laughed and began to rip through the silver wrapping she’d handed you. 

“Sorry,” she said. “Got excited.” She plopped down on the living room couch and you joined her, the both of you tearing into your presents like you were children.

She clapped her hands in excitement as she opened the vinyl record you’d gotten her, immediately flipping the packaging over in her hands and admiring the artwork. You laughed at her reaction, and grinned when you uncovered the vintage book she’d given you. It was leather bound and smelled like old paper- you were instantly in love.

“Thanks, Meg,” you said. “It’s perfect.”

“I know. I knew when I saw it,” she said and a smug grin. You shook your head fondly. “The record’s perfect, by the way. I’m sad I can’t play it till after Christmas.”

“You don’t have time before the in laws?” you asked and Meg shook her head.

“Ryan’s waiting in the car. I told him to keep it warm for me. I should probably head out there soon. His mom gets anxious if we don’t get there before dark.”

“Oh,” you said. “If you need to go-”

“I’ve still got a few minutes,” Meg said. “Honestly, I’d much rather stay here for Christmas. Kill two birds with one stone- you’re not alone for the holidays and I don’t have to make small talk with Ryan’s cousins.” Meg made a face. 

“If only,” you said and fell back onto the couch. “We’ll both have to make the best of it.”

“Yeah,” Meg sighed and fell back next to you, leaning her head on your shoulder. “Any new developments with drummer boy?” Her chin dug into your arm as she turned to look at you. “When’s he gonna ask you out?”

“Maybe never,” you said and ran a hand over your face. “I meant to call you- I think I might’ve fucked things up a little bit. I don’t know- I can’t decide.”

“What happened?”

“He invited me to spend Christmas with his family.”

“Y/N!” Megan shouted.

“I said no.”

“Y/N!” Megan shouted in a much more exasperated tone. “Why would you say no?”

“He only sees his family like, twice a year,” you said. “I didn’t wanna intrude.”

“Did you tell him that?”

“Yeah,” you said. “He told me I wasn’t intruding. Even said he talked to his siblings about it. Apparently they want to meet me.” Your face got hot and you covered yours eyes with your hands when Meg gasped and jabbed you in the ribs.

“Y/N how fucking dare you turn down his invitation to Christmas?” she sounded personally offended. 

“I just don’t know if that’s really the truth,” you tried to defend yourself, but just sounded whiney instead. “What if he was just making excuses ‘cause he feels sorry for me?”

“Why would he do that?”

“‘Cause he’s a nice guy.”

“Nobody’s that nice,” Megan said. She sat up from beside you and crossed her arms. “If you think he’s confusing, you’re probably sending him for a loop right now.”

“What?”

“Anybody with a brain can see that you like him,” Meg said, rolling her eyes at your wince. “Get over it. Just think about how confusing it’d be if a guy you thought liked you just said they didn’t want to spend time with you, meet your family, all that stuff.”

“I never said I didn’t want to meet his family!” you defended yourself.

“Well, what did you say to him?”

“That I didn’t want to intrude,” you said. “And- oh fuck,” you looked up at the ceiling, “I said that it was a bad idea.”

“Bad move,” Megan said, shaking her head. You sat up from the couch and stood, beginning to pace around the room. Outside a car horn blared. Megan sighed.

“That’s Ryan. I need to go.”

“What do I do?” you asked, quickly before she had to leave. “Call and apologize?”

“You could,” Megan said, collecting her things and standing from the couch. “Or you could just take him up on his offer and spend Christmas with him.”

“But what if-”

“What if nothing,” Megan said. “Stop thinking like your mother for one second and go spend Christmas with a cute boy. It won’t be the end of the world, I promise.” She stopped you from pacing and drew you in for a hug, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“At least think about it, okay?” she asked. You nodded.

“Okay.”

“Good.” Meg gave you one final squeeze before stepping away and heading for the front door, shouting a final goodbye over her shoulder before you could see her running for the car running in front of you house. You watched as she jumped in the passenger seat and sped away. Fuck, what if she was right?

After you locked the door you headed back to your bedroom. The book Megan had given you was placed gently on your nightstand, and you stood next to the bed and stared at the little pile of presents sitting in the corner, still waiting to be delivered. They were to friends who you wouldn’t see till closer to New Years, and you stood and stared at that pile while your head spun before you finally made a decision. And granted, maybe it was a stupid decision, but once the idea took root in your mind you couldn’t stop it from blossoming, fed by your stupid hope and infatuation, and honestly you knew as soon as Meg had jabbed you in the ribs that something like this might happen.

You felt kind of sneaky, texting everyone you could think of except for Ashton with a sudden newfound energy. You felt even more sneaky when you finally got the information you needed. You felt a bit crazed as you braved the Christmas Eve traffic to run to the store for a couple last minute things, and by the time you got home you were buzzing with anticipation for the next day.

You waited until the afternoon to finally leave the house. Despite what Meg had said, you still wanted to give Ashton plenty of alone time with his family. It was a quarter past two o’clock when you finally locked up your house and got into your car, shoving a couple bags into the back seat before you typed an address into Google maps and hit the road. The traffic was relatively light because of the holiday, and you made good time to Big Bear, only slowing down a bit when you finally hit snow. 

The sun was getting lower in the sky by the time you turned onto the road where the cabin was. It bounced of the snow and lit the sky up so that everything looked just a little bit golden. You had to squint even with the sunglasses on your face as you read the numbers on the cabins, looking for just the right one.

The front yard was empty, but there was a car in the driveway when you finally found the right cabin. You pulled up next to it, turning off your car and glancing at your own reflection in the rearview mirror. You felt a bit like you were at the top of a roller coaster, waiting for that first drop that would leave your stomach behind. You reached into the back seat and grabbed one of the bags you’d brought before stealing yourself and exiting the car, being careful not to slip on the snow as you walked up to the front door of the cabin.

You could hear music inside, and you knocked a bit louder than usual, hoping that the people inside would be able to hear you. A few moments later the music got quieter, and you could hear footsteps before the door opened. 

You know it was Lauren. Ashton had shown you pictures of her before. She looked a bit startled at first, but a look of realization crossed her face and she smiled.

“You’re Y/N,” she said, and you hadn’t quite left your stomach behind yet, but you were close. 

“And you’re Lauren.” You smiled at her. “Ashton’s told me a lot about you.”

“Same,” Lauren said. “I thought you couldn’t come.”

“I- plans changed,” you shrugged. “Thought I’d come and surprise you guys. I hope that’s okay.”

“Oh, it is,” Lauren said, and smug grin on her face. “Come on in, we’re making nachos.”

“Thanks,” you said when Lauren moved aside and opened the door further. You stomped your feet against the door mat in an effort to get some of the snow off of your shoes. 

“You can just take those off,” Lauren said. “Leave ‘em by the door and meet me in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good,” you said and watched as Lauren headed for what you assumed was the kitchen. Your heart pounded at the thought of being left alone in the cabin, at the thought of really going through with this, but you ignored it and took off your shoes, placing them next to the other boots lined up by the door.

“Who was that, Laur?” You could hear Ashton’s voice from the kitchen and your heart swelled.

“A friend,” Lauren said. You crept closer to the kitchen, that feeling as though you were about to be dropped intensifying as you drew near.

“A friend?” Ashton asked. “When the fuck did you make friends out here and why are they visiting?”

“I could’ve made friends,” Lauren said. “People like me. I’m great.”

“Great at what?” You assumed that was Harry’s voice. There was what sounded like a squabble breaking out between the younger siblings, and you figured now was as good a time as any to enter the kitchen.

“My god, you guys are too old for this shit, what-” Ashton whirled around to scold his younger siblings but stopped short when his eyes fell on you. “Y/N.”

“Hey,” you smiled weakly. 

“Holy shit.”

“Surprise,” you said. “I probably should’ve called-”

“Yeah,” Ashton said, and your heart dropped. You shifted back a bit, the bag of presents at your side crinkling as it brushed against your legs.

“Sorry,” you said, and you had to look away from him. “I- I just wanted to drop these off,” you hoisted the bag up onto the counter. “Sorry,” you said again. You looked up to see Ashton staring at the bag with a look of disbelief on his face. “I should probably go.”

You backed quickly into the hallway, reaching up to cup your own cheeks as you headed for the door. You were sure they were bright red with embarrassment, despite the coldness of your fingers against them. You slid across the hardwood floor to where your shoes sat, only stopping when you heard your name.

“Y/N.” It was Ashton, because who else would it be. It still startled you all the same. “Hold on.” He walked closer towards you. Your shoes were dangling from your hands. “Pit those on,” he said, and there was that terrible feeling again, that ache in your chest as you stooped to jam your shoes on your feet, lacing them up haphazardly as Ashton did the same beside you before opening the door and ushering you outside. 

“I’m sorry,” you said again as soon as the door was closed. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking-”

“Wait,” Ashton said, reaching forward to wrap his fingers around your forearm. He was in a tshirt and sweats. You could see goosebumps on his arms as he stood huddled under the stoop in front of you.

“I’m sorry,” you words were more like an exhale than anything else- you could hardly hear them beyond the thoughts whirring through your head. This was a mistake. You’d fucked it up, made Ashton dislike you, and now he didn’t want to see you. You’d ruined his Christmas. Holy shit, you were the actual Grinch. What the fuck were you thinking?

“You told me you weren’t coming,” Ashton said, fingers still wrapped around your arm. “You could’ve called. Could’ve told me you’d changed your mind. I- I’m sorry if I freaked you out. I just wasn’t expecting this.”

“Sorry,” you said again. Ashton shook his head.

“Stop saying that,” he said. “Just- what happened? Did you change your mind? Were you planning this from the beginning?” 

“No,” you said. If there was ever a time to be honest, it was now. “I got this idea yesterday to come up and surprise you. I- I wanted to say yes the first time you asked,” you looked down at Ashton’s bare arms, away from his eyes, “but I was afraid and I said no.”

“Afraid of what?” Ashton asked.

“Intruding. Accidentally ruining Christmas. Getting in the way of you and your family,” you said. “Of being selfish.”

“Y/N, I invited you to come up here with us because I wanted you to,” Ashton said, squeezing your arm lightly. You dared to look at his face. His eyes were sad and sincere. “You’re not selfish. If anything, I’m the selfish one.”

You tilted your head at him, shot him a confused look. “You invited a lonely girl to crash your family Christmas- it felt like you being pretty selfless to me, Ash.” 

Ashton shook his head and let go of your arm, wrapping his own arms around himself. The sun was starting to set, and the temperature was dropping quickly.

“I wasn’t lying when I said my siblings were okay with you joining us for Christmas,” Ashton said. “But, inviting you, I was the one that wanted to ask so badly. I talked about you for days, showed them pictures of us together and told them about how funny you are, and smart. I think they probably knew by the time I suggested we invite you for Christmas that it was going to happen all along. I- I wanted you to meet my family. I wanted to spend the day with you.” 

You wondered if Ashton wasn’t so cold if he’d be blushing. His teeth chattered against the air, and you wanted to reach out and wrap him in your arms in a feeble attempt to stop the cold. You couldn’t though, not yet.

“I wanted that too,” you told him. “I’m sorry if I made it sound like I didn’t. I only met Lauren a couple minutes ago, but I already like her,” it looked as though Ashton couldn’t contain the grin that took over his face, “and- I always want to spend time with you, Ash.”

You twisted your fingers together in nervousness. It was more than anything you’d said before- the closest you’d gotten to a confession since you first realized exactly how much you like Ashton. You couldn’t help the anxiety that unfurled in your chest, the fear that you’d said too much, that you’d just scared Ashton away. That mingling with the hope fluttering stupidly around in your chest made you feel a bit light headed as you met Ashton’s eyes.

“Can I tell you something?” Ashton asked quietly through chattering teeth.

“‘Course.”

“I’m completely taken with you,” his voice was strong despite being quiet. “Have been for a while.”

You took a step back, a smile growing on your face even as you moved to cover it with your hand. 

“I- yeah,” you said, and moved your hand back to your side, tugging at the fabric of your jacket. “I’m taken with you too.”

Ashton smiled, jaw tight as he tried not to chatter. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you said, and laughed at the grin on Ashton’s face. His lips were starting to turn blue, and you reached forward to grab his arm. “Even though you’re starting to look more and more like a popsicle.”

“It’s cold.” Ashton nodded in response and reached down to take your hand. “Let’s head back inside.”

“Okay,” you said softly, and let Ashton lead you back into the house. His siblings were talking in the kitchen, and Ashton kicked off his boots quickly before dragging you through the cabin, past the kitchen to a hallway. 

“The nachos are almost done!” Lauren called after you. 

“Just a sec!” Ashton yelled back and tugged you through a door into what was most likely his room. He made a beeline for the bag lying in the corner, grabbing a sweatshirt out of it and shoving it over his head as quickly as possible.

“Better?” you asked. Ashton nodded.

“Better,” he sat down on the bed and reached for you. You stepped closer, and let him take your hands in his as he gazed up at you.

“Where were we?” he asked. 

“We’re smitten with each other,” you said, a blush painting your cheeks pink despite the shred of confidence you felt growing. 

“Ah, yes,” Ashton said. “I’d like to take you out on a proper date some time, if you’d like.”

“I would,” you said. 

“And I’d like to introduce you to my family properly.”

“Of course.” 

“But before all of that,” Ashton tugged on your hands, pulling you to sit on the bed next to him, “I’d like to kiss you-” he leaned in close. You could feel his warm breath against your cheek, as a few strands of his red hair fell into his eyes. “-if that’s alright.”

“Please do,” your voice was not much louder than a whisper, and Ashton’s lips were cold against yours but you didn’t mind. Your hands gripped the front of his sweatshirt as he pulled you closer, and when he pulled away for breath a content sigh escaped your lips.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” Ashton’s voice was rough, sent shivers down your spine. You didn’t answer him with words, just leaned forward and kissed him again. 

The rest of the night was a blur of snow fights, nachos, and presents. It was well after midnight by the time everyone went to bed. You told Ashton you were okay to drive home, but he insisted otherwise.

“Stay,” he whispered against your skin. “Please? Stay.”

And so you did. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, lovelies. comments and kudos are always much appreciated. hope you guys are having a pleasant holiday season. :)


End file.
